Dutchess County Historical Society Yearbook Vol 017 1932

sparks. Second, by producing colored marks upon prepared paper, the paper being saturated with an easily decomposable neutral salt, and stained with tumeric, or some other easily stained neutral colors. Third, by saturating the paper with a solution of acetate of lead, or carbonate of lead, the paper being moistened while the electric current was passed through it, or over its surface, between points of platina wire. Fourth, I proposed to make use of the electric magnet, which is formed by coiling copper wire, insulated by being wound with silk, around soft iron, bent in the form of the letter U, the iron being rendered temporarily magnetic by the passage of the galvanic current through the copper wire, a keeper or armature of soft iron being placed across the poles, and attracted firmly against them during the time the galvanic current is passing.

I proposed to connect with this keeper the short arm of a lever-beam, and to fix a point of steel in the long arm of the lever, so that, when the keeper was drawn to the electro-magnet, the point should perforate holes in the paper. The paper was to be drawn from one reel to another by clock-work machinery, so that in intervals of space these holes might be punctured, and telegraphic indications be produced thereby.

When I mentioned the subject of electro-magnetism, in the presence of Mr. Morse, during the conversation, he asked me the meaning of the term, saying, 'Electro-magnetism! How does that differ from other magnetism?' I explained it to him, making drawings of electro-magnets and a galvanic battery for that purpose.

"We discussed the subject for some time, and during this conver. sation I spoke of having an electro-magnet on board, and two galvanic batteries, which were stowed away between decks. I made drawings— rough sketches, as I do not profess to be a draftsman—of the electromagnet, which I gave to Mr. Morse, who copied them into his note-book in an artistic manner, asking of me explanations as he made the drawings.

"Within a few days after my first conversation above mentioned I think the third day after, I had a conversation with Mr. Morse as to the practicability of devising a system of signs which could be readily interpreted. I proposed an arrangement of punctured points or dots, to represent the ten numerals. Mr. Morse proposed to reduce it to five numerals and a zero, saying that all numbers could be represented thereby. Mr. Morse took a dictionary and numbered the words, and then tried a system of dots against it. We assigned to each word, selected for that purpose, a separate number, and the numbers were indicated by dots and spaces. We took our respective places at opposite sides of a table.

He would send me dispatches written in numerals, which I would examine by the aid of a marked dictionary which I held in my hand, and I found no great difficulty in reading them; and then we would change, he taking the dictionary and I sending the words. Mr. Morse took the principal part in arranging the system of signs, and deserves the greatest credit for it. Mr. Morse made notes of the system of signs, so far as 58